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Oct 31, 2014

New
England fall foliage is slowly coming to an end. One of my first photo destinations this autumn season were the White Mountains in New Hampshire and in particular the Basin near Lincoln, NH. Parking is conveniently located off Route 93 North and the Basin is reached via a very easy walk. Most of the way is paved and offers handicapped accessible viewing. In thousands of years Mother Nature with the help of rushing water has eroded the rock into a
smooth, circular cave like formation which provides plenty of fantastic photo opportunities. Make sure to walk around and explore the many different angles and perspective to make it your own. There are also plenty of small waterfalls and cascades further upstream that make for fabulous Scenic New England Photography.

Both images in this latest photo blog post were post processed in the digital
photography lab where I removed dust spots, minimally adjusted lighting,
contrast and color saturation, before sharpening the final pictures. Apertures for the First Picture above was set to f/29, providing an exposure time of 1 second at ISO100. The settings in below My New England image were f/22 at ISO100 resulting in a shutter speed of 2.5 seconds.

Oct 29, 2014

The beautiful
seaside village of Rockport, Massachusetts on Cape Ann is most famous for its red fishing shack. This historic landmark is known throughout New England as Motif #1, so called
because it is the most often painted building in America. It is located on a small pier off Bearskin Neck. Bearskin Neck hosts many local stores, restaurants, cafes and art galleries.

This morning I shared the harbor of Rockport with a few fishermen that were leaving the harbor in their quest for the catch of the day. They tested my patience as they were leaving the harbor in their fishing boats and ruining the reflection of this red shack. Luckily the light had not passed and the shack was still sun lit by the warm sunrise light when I was able to capture this iconic New England tourist and local favorite.

Once I was able to capture my vision of the red fishing shack in a photograph I went on to photograph some nautical details and a bunch of dinghies that were beautifully moored. Equipped with along telephoto zoom lens I was able to isolate the dinghies from other boats in the harbor waters. The morning light provided the warm hues of the golden hour that always makes for special Photography. A polarizing filter minimized glare and saturated colors a bit further. The same can be said for the buoys.

All Massachusetts Northshore images in this photo blog post were post processed in the digital photography lab where I removed dust spots, minimally adjusted lighting, contrast and color saturation, before sharpening the final pictures.

Oct 27, 2014

On a late summer night in August I went to in East Boston, MA which I consider one of the best photography locations for photographing the Boston Skyline. This photo location stands out to me because the views of downtown and the Boston Harbor are one
of the best in the city. In a particular area there are also wood pilings from an old pier in the harbor waters that lend themselves for great
foreground features adding interest and depth to a cityscape photograph.
Effectively used in a composition the pilings also invite viewers into the picture and lead them through the image. The beautiful sunset clouds were racing through the
frame and the sky finally cleared towards the end of the day; right in time for twilight. Equipped
with a Canon 24-70 mm lens I patiently waited for the twilight to arrive. Twilight is one of my most favorite times of the day and I love when the city lights and twilight are in an undeniable balance providing exceptional photography results.

An
ISO 200 setting combined with an aperture of f/11 provided a desired
shutter speed of 20 seconds for this Boston Skyline Photography image.
During post processing I removed dust spots,
minimally adjusted lighting, contrast and color saturation before
sharpening the final image of Boston One of a Kind.

Oct 22, 2014

New England is famous for its covered bridges and they make for excellent photography subjects. Some are easy to photograph while others are more challenging. The easiest are the ones in a scenic, non-obstructive environment setting, the hardest ones are in a more urban, difficult to isolate environment. Especially autumn makes for great New England Covered Bridge photography as the backdrop is often submerged in abundant fall colors. Join me on this virtual road trip:

Oct 20, 2014

Boston is a great destination for tourists and photographers alike. The largest city north of New York City on the East coast of the United States of America offers so many sites to explore and there is really no best time to visit. New England is famous for its abundant fall foliage season and autumn with its vibrant colors is one of my most favorite times of the year. I look forward to it year-round and it is way to short. Autumn in Boston is particular special as the historic sites and city skyline is submerged into a carpet of colorful and plentiful colors of fall. Hope you had the chance to experience fall foliage in Boston and New England at some point or you have plans to do so - I am sure its worth a visit!

Photo Tip #12: Check your photo pictures on the camera screen using the magnifying feature. If sharpness
and photography image quality is unsatisfying, keep shooting to ensure you get the sharp,
high quality photography picture you aim for.

Photo Tip #8:
Set the correct aperture to achieve sufficient DOF for your artistic
needs. A large aperture (small f-stop Number like 5.6 and less) provides shallow
depth of field with faster shutter speeds.

A small apertures (large f-stop
Number like f/8 and up) will provide you with sharpness from foreground and
longer exposure times. Longer exposure times require a tripod or other
stabilization to avoid blurry pictures.

Oct 15, 2014

Photo Tip #7:
Ensure your focus point is spot on. Depth of Field (DOF) falls approximately 1/3
in front and 2/3 past the focus point. Aperture provides you the control to
maximize or minimize DOF thereby impacting your image sharpness.

Photo Tip #6:
Watch your exposure time to ensure you can still hand hold your camera and lens
while taking a photography picture. If there is no tripod available and shutter speeds become too long, turn on the lens stabilization
feature and/or use other supporting aids like a tree trunk, a wall, a fence, a sweater or your camera
bag to stabilize your better photo set up; whatever works to keep your camera and lens stable
at slower shutter speeds will make for higher quality Photography Images.

Oct 13, 2014

Photo Tip #3:
Utilize lowest possible ISO settings like ISO 100 and below for higher quality
photography images. Do not use your camera Auto ISO setting since at low light it will
adjust to a higher ISO setting that will create more camera noise. Instead get in the habit
of using a solid tripod even when sufficient light is available; Not only will it reduce camera shake but also will benefit in better and well composed photography pictures.

Photo Tip #2: Know
your Camera Noise level limit where it become unacceptable so you can adjust your
ISO setting for faster shutter speeds accordingly. High noise levels produce
poorer image quality. In example, ISO 800 might be unacceptable but since you
know ISO 400 is all right you may choose ISO 400 and adjust to a larger aperture
to achieve a desired faster shutter speed and compensate for the lower ISO
setting.

New Egland fall foliage is in full swing; high and peak colors are reported from Maine to Connecticut and Vermont to Massachusetts. Earlier this season I made a photo trip to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. I visited famous landmarks like the Basin, Profile Lake, the Mount Washington Hotel, Silver Cascades and many other beautiful places off the beaten path. At one point I passed a train bridge and remember thinking how awesome it would be to capture the railroad bridge with a train during peak fall foliage. Once I completed the thought I checked the road in front of me, the traffic in the the back through my rear mirror and after taking a couple additional looks I made a u-turn with caution and headed back to a conveniently located pullout up the street. I figured I set up tripod, camera and gear before checking train travel times on my cell phone. The phone, of course, crapped out on me as there was no signal. Nonetheless I kept trying and soon after I hear a roaring noise coming my way. Excitement started to build, can it be true - nope not the train; instead a couple of Harley Davidson's passing by. Disappointed I turned back to my phone but still no signal. Again, roaring vibes coming my way but now with a train honking that I loved to hear! I jumped for joy, can you imaging my excitement; I was there for 5, maximum 10 minutes and the train came my way. Talking about taking chances, being lucky or at the right place at the right time. I captured the Notch Train at the Conway Scenic Railroad in multiple locations on the bridge but this one was my favorite train conductor looking out of the window provides an anker for the viewer. The autumn are displaying high colors that I saturated with a polarizing filter while taking the picture.

What a scenic way to experience the New England fall foliage.The Notch train travels on tracks that were build in the 1870s. The scenic train ride awards with some of the most dramatic natural scenery in the East as one travels through spectacular Crawford Notch, passing by steep ravines, cascading brooks and streams, panoramic mountain vistas, across Frankenstein Trestle and Willey Brook Bridge. It is a feast for the eye and soul any time of the year but especially during peak New England fall foliage. As one enjoys the train travel through this rugged terrain, one begins to appreciate what a remarkable engineering achievement constructing this railroad was almost 140 years ago.

Oct 11, 2014

Photo Tip 11 of 11: Do not ditch November and December when leaves are on the ground and make for
beautiful Macro Photography pictures. Visit your local sites to get in close
and extend fall foliage photography season for a couple of months.

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About Me

Juergen
Roth was born and raised near Cologne, Germany. In 1988, he moved to Berlin
West and following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 he enjoyed exploring the
reunited city and the lost natural environment surrounding it. Since 2001 he has been living in Brookline, Massachusetts
with his wife Helen and daughter Nina.

Juergen has been participated in
many local art events and shows where his photography images achieved numerous
honors. Most recently in 2015, Juergen's iconic Boston skyline photography image Welcome to the Great City of Boston was recognized with the Kusmin Gallery Award for Best in New England at the Fine Art of Photography exhibition at the Plymouth Center for the Arts. In 2014 Serene Cape Cod
was awarded Highly Commended by a panel of world famous judges in the 2014
U.S.A. Landscape Photographer of the Year photography contest. His award
winning photography artwork has been published in books, calendars and
magazines throughout the world.

Juergen finds inspiration in Boston
when not chasing the light at nearby Wildlife Sanctuaries and the beautiful
landscapes and seascapes of New England. He
has always regarded nature as the ultimate inspiration.

"The question is not what you
look at, but what you see." - HENRY D. THOREAU